Somewhere I Belong
by Rise of the Blossom
Summary: Collection of one-shots that are not related with one another. Still accepting prompts and requests! Make sure you read the beginning of the one-shot for the rating, as they all vary.
1. Story 1: Shooting

**A/N – This is a collection of one-shots that are not related with one another (unless I post at the very start of them that they are, which is a slim possibility, depending on whether anyone requests a sequel). I'm still accepting requests, so if you have any, share them!**

* * *

 **Somewhere I Belong**

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 **Story 1  
** **Prompt: School shooting – my own prompt to get the ball rolling. Risky and a sensitive subject, I know, but it happens so often and I wanted to try and get across how such a tragedy can bring people together.  
Rating: T**

Sighing, she placed her head into her hand and stared out of the window. It was such a stunningly beautiful day. The sun was shining, boring down on them all through the opened windows, but the gentle breeze that blew in from said windows kept them all from overheating.

Summer.

Only a few more weeks and summer break would begin – Sakura couldn't wait. Oh, she had so many plans. She and Ino were going on holiday together with the blonde's parents, who had offered to pay for the entire trip as an early birthday present. Ino's birthday was actually in September, but because it was when term time started again, they were going abroad in the summer instead and she was allowed to take one friend.

Sakura had never been abroad before. Her family simply couldn't afford it on top of everything else. However, they'd done their best for her, putting small fractions of their monthly wages into a savings account that would be closed the day before they left. So far, she knew she had a decent amount of spending money.

But first she had to get through the rest of school. It hadn't even seemed that bad until Ino's parents told them about the holiday and since then, the two girls had been counting down the days, growing more and more excited. Ino had even put a countdown clock onto her phone and every day, without fail, the first thing she would do in the morning was show Sakura how long they had left.

The teacher was droning on, his voice almost lulling her to sleep with the aid of the summer heat. He was reading from a book with a tone that lacked any real emotion and it only served to make the class restless.

After a minute longer, Sakura raised her hand.

Lowering the book, the teacher gazed at her. "Yes, Haruno?"

"I need the bathroom," she lied. Really, she just needed to get up and stretch her legs, or else she really would fall asleep.

"And it can't wait until lunch?"

She frowned. "No, sir. I just finished the last of my water and I really need to go."

That was a half-truth, since she really had just finished her water and the empty bottle sat at the top of her desk as evidence. Perhaps she could fill it up on the way back from the bathroom. There was a water fountain right next to the doors to the library, which happened to be just down the hall from her class.

"Fine." He sighed and lifted his book once more, dismissing her. "But don't take too long."

Nodding, she hurried out of the class with her bottle in hand, sighing in relief once the door was shut. All the while, she felt eyes on her and knew it would be her classmates watching her with envy, wondering why they hadn't come up with the excuse first. Now it would be too suspicious to use the same excuse.

Speaking of suspicious…

Sakura frowned and eyed the corridor warily. It wasn't too strange for it to be empty during classes, but there was usually at least a couple of people wondering around. Either teachers, cleaners or the student council.

Creepy.

Shrugging it off, she made her way towards the closest bathrooms, smiling in acknowledgement when another girl left them, nodding once to her. She was in the year above, Sakura had heard. Sabaku Temari. One of the most intimidating girls to be around, but not actually that bad if you took the time to get to know her. The only reason why she knew that was because Temari was dating Ino's friend, Shikamaru.

Her non-identical twin brother, Kankuro, was rarely seen around school, for he preferred to stay in the art department. They had a younger brother in the year below, her own year, named Gaara.

Gaara was… Well, to put it nicely, he was a weird guy.

Like his older brother, Gaara kept to himself, but to an extent that made others feel unsure about approaching him. Something about him just seemed off, like it was wrong to try and start a conversation with him. Stupid, right?

Sakura looked at her reflection and sighed again. It was way too warm. Leaning down and switching on the cold tap, she filled her hands with water and splashed her face, trying to cool herself down, though soon rested one hand on the edge of sink and leaned on it, pressing the other hand to her forehead.

A bang caught her attention, startling her momentarily, but after a brief pause, she heard a quiet creaking coming from down the hall, from the opposite end of where she'd come from, followed by another bang. Probably a door, she guessed and grabbed her water bottle.

As she left the girls bathroom, Sakura looked in the direction the banging had come from, but again, the corridor was empty. It didn't stop goosebumps from breaking out across her exposed arms and legs, despite the heat and she frowned, glancing down at her arm. The hair was standing on end, kind of like it would before a storm. How odd.

Not wanting to stand in the open, in such deafening silence any longer, for her imagination was beginning to wander to creepy supernatural explanations (stupid television shows were to blame), she turned on her heel and headed back in the direction she'd come from. It would take her close to the library, but since it was down another corridor, she had to extend the journey back to class by an added thirty seconds or so.

Again, it was eerily quiet and it was starting to creep her out. With furrowing brows, Sakura walked over to the fountain, washing out her bottle before refilling it, but just as she did, another loud bang alerted her.

This time, it was not the sound of a door.

It came from her right and shortly following it were the screams of her fellow students, forcing Sakura to drop her half-filled water bottle and shrink back against the wall, eyes wide with fear.

 _What…?_

Another bang. This one echoing along the empty halls. And then another. And another. And another. Until eventually the screaming began to fade out, growing so quiet that it had tears filling her eyes.

Her mind was running away with itself, replaying all the old news stories about school shootings and as it dawned on Sakura what was happening, she realised that she needed to hide – and fast.

The closest place was the library behind her, which was huge, so without a second thought, she slid through the double doors, wary about opening them too far and making the hinges squeak. It was only when she was inside that she slowly shut them, not allowing them to close with a crash.

Her eyes swept across the library, trying to find if there was anybody else with her. The section she was on was elevated, giving her an almost bird's eye view of the large room. It seemed empty, like she was the only person there and it made her heart stop.

What now?

Another gunshot caused her to jump into action, nearly flying down the stairs to hide within the vast number of bookshelves. A terrified sob broke from her lips as she ran through them, trying to get as far away from the doors as possible. The further away she was, the better the hiding place, right?

But suddenly a hand seemed to come out of nowhere, gripping her school shirt and yanking her sideways. She was about to cry out, to demand mercy, but another hand clamped over her mouth, shutting her up.

And that was when her eyes snapped upwards, wide and terrified and meeting an equally startled gaze.

Student.

He was a student.

Not just any student, Sakura realised when he slowly released her mouth, but it was Sabaku Gaara, Temari's youngest brother.

Wait, Temari! What happened to her? Had she made it back to class? She'd been in the corridors, too. Would she have had anywhere to hide? She would know to hide, right? Right?

"Stay quiet," demanded Gaara when she opened her mouth.

It was the first time she'd ever heard him speak. Usually Gaara stayed silent, sitting alone and refusing to interact with the other students unless they were his siblings.

"It's a shooting," he stated the obvious, unaware that she already knew. "We need to keep quiet."

Sakura nodded quickly and her hands gripped his arm. He was still clutching her shirt, still keeping her out of sight and behind a bookcase. Like herself, Gaara was breathing hard and his eyes were a fraction wider than usual, his pupils dilating with adrenaline and fear.

"It was eerie out there," she whispered to him, swallowing hard. "Like the whole place has been abandoned."

Just as he opened his mouth to reply, the sounder of the headmaster's voice came from the speakers on the walls. It was stern, clear, but still panicked.

" _Code red. This is not a drill. All teachers are to lock classroom doors and remain silent. Do not let students out of classrooms and do not let anybody in. I repeat, this is not a drill."_

The headmaster never lost his composure, even when he was incredibly angry, so hearing the panic in his voice filled Sakura with dread and tears filled her eyes. The hold on Gaara's arm only tightened and she shifted closer to him, like they would be safer if they were glued together.

" _Stay away from the windows and stay away from the doors. I repeat, nobody is to leave the classrooms. Do not attempt to engage. Remain hidden and stay silent. This is not a drill."_

The tears fell from her eyes and she looked up at him helplessly, trying to see if he had any plans. Apparently, he didn't, because Gaara's icy blue eyes were darting along the library, clearly trying to find somewhere for them to hide without attracting attention.

In the silent library, Sakura's ears felt like they were ringing and her heavy breathing only grew louder, forcing the redhead to put his hand over her mouth again.

"I know it's hard, but try to stay calm," Gaara warned her, his eyes on hers and deadly serious. It made the tears come faster, made them roll down her cheeks and onto his hand. "If we want to remain undetected, we have to hide and to do so, we need to stay _silent_."

She nodded, body trembling.

But all rational thoughts flew straight out of her mind when the doors to the library opened and a cry of terror came from her, muffled by Gaara's hand as it pressed harder against her mouth.

Whoever had entered, hadn't entered in the same fashion as herself and allowed the doors to swing shut with a loud slam, effectively causing her entire body to shudder and flinch.

It seemed Gaara reacted completely on instinct when his arm suddenly came around her, shielding Sakura's head and he kept her tucked into his side as they fell back against the bookcase, crouching low. His other hand was still on her mouth, muffling her cries and whimpers.

A gunshot.

The sound of plaster falling from the ceiling.

Her hands clawed at Gaara's arm and she shook almost violently against him, pushing back against him harshly and turning, shoving her face into his chest.

"We're going to die," she whimpered. "We're going to die!"

"No we're not," he replied harshly into her ear and had she not been so scared, she would have sworn that she felt his teeth on her ear.

There was the sound of heavy footsteps descending the stairs, taking them slowly one at a time and it was like the person was intentionally being loud. Were they trying to draw them out? Trying to make them react and give away their position? Sakura kept her face hidden, using not only his hand, but also his chest to try and muffle the sobs threatening to escape her.

 _We're going to die._

It was so strange how, before that moment, she and Gaara had never exchanged a single word with one another, but now here they were, huddled close together and seeking comfort from each other, trying their best to remain silent and get through the traumatic event alive.

He could have ignored her. He could have let her run straight through the library, desperately trying to find somewhere to hide. If that had happened, Sakura had no doubt in her mind that she would have drawn attention to herself.

She lifted her head slightly, eyes darting over to the windows at the top of the bookcases. They weren't very long, but they were wide and opened outwards, though she had never seen them opened in all her time at the school. If Sakura had to guess, then she was willing to bet that they were at least ten inches long and forty inches wide.

It wasn't a possible exit, though. First of all, they would have to climb the bookcases in order to reach the windows and by doing so, they would capture the gunman's attention.

The sound of feet landing firmly onto the tiled floor at the bottom of the stairs had her flinching and once more burying her face into Gaara's chest. His arm was still around her head, but slowly, the hand covering her mouth slipped away, soon gripping her shoulder.

"We might have to move."

The whisper was almost silent, but she heard every word and it had dread knotting tightly in her stomach.

How were they supposed to move? If they did, he would find them. The gunman would find them and he would kill them and-

"What's your name?"

She blinked back her tears and lifted her head again, unconcerned with how close they were. The situation didn't allow for modesty or self-consciousness. "Haruno Sakura."

"Uzumaki Naruto's friend." The words surprised her, but Gaara didn't let her comment on it. "I'm Gaara."

"…I know."

"We're going to go around that way." He gestured behind himself with a nod of his head. "I'll go first, but keep close to me. Hold onto my ankle if you need to."

She shook her head, visibly trembling. "I-I can't."

"You have to. We're out in the open here."

When her limbs continued to tremble, making it obvious she was too frightened, Gaara wrapped an arm around her waist, dragging her along behind him. They continued to crouch low even though the gunman wouldn't be able to see them through the bookcases. They didn't know how many there were, or if it was just the one-

"What if there's more than one?" she breathed, a new terror washing over her. "What if there's more out there, waiting for us-"

"You need to calm down," he warned her quietly. "If you keep this up, it'll escalate into a panic attack – it'll give away our position."

It was easier said than done. Sakura had never even entertained the thought of this kind of thing happening to her school. She had never wondered what it would be like to be in such a predicament. In fact, Sakura was the kind to feel eternally grateful that it _wasn't_ her. Now that she was thinking about it, however, she thought she would be of more use, but fear was threatening to make her immobile. It was hard to think or control her own breathing, let alone manage to crawl across the floor to find a better hiding place.

Gaara peered around a corner, eyes narrowing a fraction before he quickly hid behind the bookcase again, breathing deeply through his nose as quietly as possible. In his chest, she could feel his heart racing and it was going just as fast as her own. It only proved that people reacted differently to situations. Whereas she was useless and a quivering mess, he was strong and determined.

She wished she could be more like him.

His eyes glanced to the side before reaching out, grabbing Sakura's thigh and bringing it closer. Before he had, her foot had been sticking out. The widths of the bookcases weren't all the big, so the next move he made was pulling Sakura in front of himself as he rested his back against the wood.

She covered her own mouth to mute her harsh breathing, listening intently to the sounds of footsteps. It was gut wrenching, utterly terrifying, how close they seemed to be. Sakura shut her eyes, praying and hoping that they would go further away.

Once again, Gaara peered around the corner of the bookcase. It must have been safe to move, because he abruptly shoved her over to the next one, telling her with his eyes to stay down and remain silent.

Falling to her knees and copying his positioning, she watched Gaara's every move, waiting for his next order.

Just as quickly as herself, he moved over to the next bookcase. And then they moved to the next. And to the next. They kept up their dashing until they made it to the front desk. It was unusually empty, making her heart leap straight into her throat.

Gaara murmured, "The librarian went to class two-three with one of the portable bookcases."

"Were you the only one in here?" she asked, surprised despite now not really being the time.

He nodded and once again, his eyes narrowed, assessing the situation. "We won't make it to the desk."

"What? Why?"

"It's locked," he replied.

The hope that had been blooming in her chest died. "What now?"

Gaara held out his hand and when she took it, she was somewhat comforted to find out that it was as sweaty as her own. She wasn't the only one who was scared beyond belief. He simply had better survival instincts.

The footsteps were growing closer once more. The strides of the gunman sounding purposeful and long. Probably a tall guy. A proud one.

But who the hell would want to shoot up a school?

"We're going to take a risk."

Her heart stopped. "W-What kind?"

In the library, there was more than one front desk, since it was such a big place. The one they had made it to and were in three strides of distance from, was currently locked. If they wanted to hide behind it, they would have to jump over the desk, but there was the risk of knocking over the computers or whatever else was on there.

The other desk was…

Sakura suddenly caught on and she was certain that, had there been any colour left on her face, it would have drained. "No."

"We can't keep this up," Gaara told her simply. "We're at the end. If we go behind that bookcase," He gestured to the bookcase next to theirs, "we could be spotted by another gunman – if there's more than one."

The other desk was directly opposite the one they were close to and it meant running across the length of the library to get to it. It would attract the attention of the gunman. It already sounded like he was getting closer to them again.

"Sakura." He looked at her seriously and the hold on her hand tightened. "Trust me."

How was she supposed to be able to trust him? She didn't even know him!

But… They were in this situation together. Gaara had taken a humongous risk by allowing her to join him, by yanking her out of sight and staying by her side. He could have left her to die, but he didn't.

She took a deep breath, willing to calm her fear. "…Okay."

And only seconds later, they were darting between the two bookcases, coming to a stop on the other end as Gaara peeked around them, making sure it was safe to continue.

Her heart was in her throat. Her entire body was on edge. Sweat was running down her temple and Sakura swallowed hard, forcing back the tears.

They went for it.

The sound of a gun being fired didn't even register in her mind and for a moment, neither did the pain.

The force of the bullet hitting her had her staggering, however.

Suddenly glass was shattering from the very back of the library and Sakura couldn't stop the scream that left her as blood splattered across her face.

Gaara didn't seem concerned about that. Instead, he was falling to his knees in front of her, forcing Sakura to sit back. He tugged her knee high sock down, involuntarily wincing at the sight of her bloody leg.

It felt so surreal. Even though she caught a glimpse of her own leg, it didn't feel real. Staring at the now dead gunman laying mere feet away from them didn't feel real.

What even happened?

One second they were running, they were dashing across the break between bookcases and then the next, the man was popping out at the same time, a sadistic grin on his face as he fired the gun.

Grabbing an arm, Gaara heaved her up and onto her feet, but once again, Sakura staggered, finally becoming aware of the agony flaring from her leg. It was like white hot iron had been shoved straight through it. She couldn't look at it as everything seemed to speed back up to normal time. If she looked at it, she would vomit. Of that she was certain.

There was a pause before he leaned down and grabbed her legs, grunting softly as he lifted her and continued to walk as fast as he could in the direction of the desk. Like Gaara had told her, it was unlocked. It was obvious because the small door had been left open.

He put her down as gently as possible, hiding Sakura beneath the desk where the chair would be pushed in and once she was hidden properly, he reached for the phone, causing her to frown.

"The school is on lockdown," she murmured. "The phones won't be working."

Despite her words, Gaara still tried them, only to curse when it wouldn't ring out. He knelt down in front of her, asking, "Do you have a phone?"

Of course she did. However, it was…

"It's in my blazer, back in the classroom." She watched him curse again and lower his head, running his hands through his messy red hair. "Do you think… there's more than one?"

Gaara sighed. "There's no way of knowing unless we're told something." Before she could ask anything else, he was reaching forward and ripping the arm of her shirt off. Sakura could only stare in stunned disbelief as he wrapped it tightly around her wound, too surprised by his sudden movement to make any complaints. There was no stopping her cry of pain, however. "That will have to do for now."

"What now?" she asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Now… We wait."

But… But she'd been shot! It was only because of the shock that she was handling the pain so well, why it felt muted in comparison to what it was probably supposed to feel like.

"But-"

"They know we're in here, Sakura," he told her calmly. "That would have been the police who shot the gunman. They will know that we are in here."

Despite how calm he sounded, Sakura could tell by the look in his eyes that he was shaken. Was he trying to stay calm for her sake? "Gaara…" When he looked to her, Sakura found herself dropping her gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry that this is how we've been introduced to each other."

There was a small wry smile on his lips and he shook his head. "Nothing like a tragedy to bring people together."

Such a dark humour, but at that moment in time, she found that it didn't bother her. If it meant he kept her distracted, kept her calm, then he could say whatever the hell he wanted to say.

"Why did you help me?" Sakura asked quietly. "You could've left me…"

He sighed, his head falling back to the desk. It was only then that she realised he was tired. It made his startling appearance stand out all the more. Pale skin, dark circles around his eyes and an expression that was more than likely passed off as boredom, but was actually exhaustion. He was just misunderstood, wasn't he?

Everyone made Gaara out to be some kind of loner, but what if that was because he was forced to be? What if he was only alone all the time because nobody wanted anything to do with him? What if he had tried to reach out to people but they ignored him?

"I couldn't let somebody die when there was something I could have done to prevent it."

By now, the white arm of her sleeve was dyed red and the sight of it had her fighting back the bile rising in her throat. She was losing too much blood, too quickly.

An artery.

The bullet had hit an artery.

Her Godmother was a doctor, one of the best there ever was, so it was safe to say Sakura knew her fair share of injuries and how to deal with them. It wasn't often she got to see Tsunade, but when she did, she always asked the woman to teach her more about medicine and whatnot. She was someone she admired greatly. Being a doctor, taking after Tsunade, was something she'd hoped to do.

"I'm glad I didn't die alone."

His eyes snapped back to hers, narrowing dangerously. "You're not going to die."

"There's a bullet in my leg, Gaara," she told him blankly.

"Yeah, in your leg. Not in your heart or your lungs or your head!"

He was panicking. She could see it in his eyes and it stunned her to see such a reaction from him. "I'm losing too much blood-"

The words were cut off by the sounds of the doors to the library slamming open, by the sounds of heavy boots hitting the floor as whoever it was jogged into the library. The appearance of another had Sakura holding her breath, fearing for sure that it was a second gunman.

"There's more than one," Gaara informed her, listening carefully.

" _Paramedics!"_ somebody yelled out. " _Show yourselves, kids! We're here to help."_

Her eyes met Gaara's, wide and filled with distrust and she found that his were filled with the same emotion. How could they be so sure that it was actually paramedics? What if it was the other gunmen trying to lure them out of their hiding spot?

" _We know you're injured,"_ a different voice stated.

They already knew about her.

Heart heavy with dread, she exchanged another glance with Gaara, uncertainty obvious on her face.

He must have caught on, because his hand was wrapping around her arm faster than she could keep up with. "Don't you dare."

"They don't know about you," she whispered seriously and shifted, prepared to climb over him. "I'm holding you back, Gaara. You could make a run for it!"

"I don't care."

Why was this guy so stubborn? "Gaara-"

" _I've found them!"_

The voice came from directly above them and too late did Sakura notice the blood stains on the carpet from where she'd slipped under the desk. Gaara had only been able to get her halfway under before she had to make some effort herself. Damn it…

Her hand sought out his, holding it tightly and Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself for the worst.

It wasn't until hands were on her face that her eyes snapped open once more, petrified that something else was about to happen. But then the sight of uniforms entered her vision until it blurred once more, relief overwhelming her as she sobbed loudly.

It was over.

 _They were safe now._


	2. Story 2: Playing With Poisons

**Story 2  
** **Prompt: "He's been playing with poisons again… the idiot." Requested by Lady Ridger** **.  
Rating: T**

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Outside of the small circular window granted her a view of yet another sandstorm. Anything that was left outside was gone forever as it disappeared in the whirlwind – and she knew for a fact several things were out there, because she'd seen them flying away.

"We have to do something."

Annoyance flitted over her features and while her back was turned, she took a moment to mask that feeling. "Don't get involved in Gaara's business, Kankuro," came her firm reply. "It has nothing to do with you."

The man threw himself into the sofa, feet banging onto the coffee table when he rested them there. "It's bugging you, too. You're just too stuck up your own ass to admit it, Temari."

"What was that?" She spun on her heel, teal eyes narrowing. The sight of her brother pissed her off and her hand itched to reach for the fan that was mere inches from her.

Kankuro must have sensed her killing intent because with a single bend of his finger, the fan flew across the room with the thanks of his chakra strings, landing by the archway. "He's not even talking to her outside of orders."

Teeth gritting, Temari looked away. He had her there.

It was such a pain in the ass – or troublesome, as a certain lazy ass would say. Her youngest brother seemed to have finally discovered the opposite sex in _that_ way. The problem with that, however, was that it made him nervous for the first time in his entire life, and she knew he didn't know how to handle that feeling. So, what did he do? Gaara ignored the poor girl and made her believe she'd done something wrong. She'd seen the confusion in her emerald green eyes.

Damn it, usually, she didn't even care, but…

That stupid brother of hers!

Again, she narrowed her eyes and finally approached Kankuro, sitting opposite him. "If we're going to do this, we're doing it my way. You'll only mess it up."

* * *

What a hassle.

When Tsunade had approached Sakura (well, summoned her to her office) with the idea of tying their villages together somehow, she had not thought that she would be the one leading them on Konoha's behalf.

It was a struggle to say the least. Everything she said and everything she did was being watched unbearably closely. From the way Sakura sat, to the way she ate her food or spoke… Simply put: it was all so pedantic and pointless.

However, she sat back and gritted her teeth, pretending not to notice the critical eyes on her. No matter what, Konoha couldn't be let down or frowned upon any more than what it already was, due to their high rogue-nin rate. The other villages had to understand that, despite those who had betrayed them, it didn't mean they all had ill intentions. Hell, they all had their fair share of rogue-nin issues, so they should be more understanding, right?

Wrong.

It had only been three weeks and already Sakura had been interrogated. Perhaps that was too strong a word to use, but that was how it felt. When asked about her past and the connection between herself and Sasuke, the people questioning her had made it seem like she was some sort of evil villain who was withholding vital information.

Again, Sakura gritted her teeth and she stuck through it, holding back her flaring temper for the sake of the treaty. Oh, but she had so wished that she could've sent those bastards soaring through the air before they even knew what hit them.

To make matters worse: it seemed like she was on the Kazekage's bad side. Don't ask her how or why, because Sakura honestly didn't know. One day they were fine and able to have a rare conversation about absolutely nothing and then the next, he… It was almost like he was avoiding her, but surely that was wrong? Outside of her orders, Gaara didn't speak to her or invite her to his office. He barely even acknowledged her.

Sighing, she leaned back in her seat, kicking her feet up onto the desk. The office was temporary and actually belonged to another doctor, but as the Godaime's star student, it had been handed over without a fuss – without her even asking for it, either. In the beginning, Sakura had felt guilty, because the last thing she wanted was to live in Tsunade's shadow and leech off her legendary status. Now, however, she appreciated the downtimes when it all got a bit much and she needed a break.

That downtime was rudely interrupted by a rude banging on the door, followed by it being thrown open. At the sight of Temari, however, all anger vanished and she shot to her feet, eyes going wide at the fear in her teal eyes.

"Temari-san, what-"

"We need you downstairs in surgery right away."

Wait, what? And was there any need to drag her? She would have rushed their straight away. Grabbing her and running was simply unnecessary. "Temari-san, please-"

"We don't have time to talk, Sakura!" came her snapped reply. "Gaara's hurt."

What? Sakura's breath left her and she yanked her arm out of Temari's hold, following closely on the blonde's heels as they darted through the hospital. It worried her when they reached one of the major operating rooms, as it was only used in emergencies.

However, when the doors were thrown open in the same fashion as her temporary office's had been, she felt her annoyance flaring.

"Kankuro, stop it-"

"Sit down, Gaara. You need medical attention!"

What the hell did they think they were playing at? "Don't you know this room is for emergencies only?"

"This is an emergency," Kankuro growled with annoyance, once more trying to force his brother down onto the operating table.

"No, it isn't-"

Gaara's attempt at arguing was cut off by Temari, who told her, "He's been playing with poisons again, the idiot."

"No, I have not," Gaara replied coldly. "One of you-"

"Stop talking, Gaara," ordered the older male. "You need to save your energy."

Sakura pressed her hand against her aching forehead, taking deep breaths to try and remain calm. Clearly, something else was going on and it surprised her how see-through their plan was. But why was there a plan in the first place? What was with this sudden need for attention?

At the last second, she refrained from yelling at them all and decided to play along, her features becoming concerned.

"You need to be more careful, Kazekage-sama." Walking towards him, she pressed a single finger to his chest, pinning him to the operating table and inwardly smirking as his icy blue eyes went wide. It was obvious Gaara was fighting to sit up, but with that finger alone, she was capable of keeping him pinned. "You have an entire village to look out for."

"Haruno-"

"Listen to her, Gaara," Temari muttered, folding her arms over her chest.

Her other hand reached out, brushing the hair off his forehead as she checked his temperature. It was nothing unmanageable and was the norm for being out in the desert. The poison was more than likely a weak one, as they wouldn't have wanted to risk his life.

His eyes went a fraction wider before quickly averting from hers, stunning her.

What surprised her even more was the faint blush that swept over his cheeks.

Did he…?

Sakura glanced over her shoulder, unable to hide her rapidly growing shock as Kankuro and Temari slowly backed out of the operation room, the former making the 'OK' hand sign at her, whereas the latter smirked and made the peace sign.

Those two…!

What the hell was she supposed to do now? For so long now Gaara had been avoiding her and ignoring her, only speaking to her in clipped sentences that didn't really hold any meaning or emotion behind them. Now, in what felt like all of a sudden, he was… Well, showing the signs of having a crush on her. What's more, his siblings knew about it already and it was why they were screwing with them both! What were they hoping or expecting to happen? For her to jump him and for them to have hot s-

She blushed madly.

Honestly, Sakura had never thought about Gaara in such a way. He simply seemed so out of reach, like no matter how hard she tried to reach out to him, she would never make it halfway, let alone all the way into his heart.

But now here he was, laying on the examination table, totally vulnerable and at a loss as to what he was supposed to do.

That made two of them.

Hesitantly, she looked back to him, only to smile nervously and drop her gaze when she found Gaara was already looking at her. It felt so surreal. How could the powerful, supposedly emotionless Kazekage have a crush on her?

"Haruno."

Green eyes met icy blue and this time, Sakura was determined not to look away, demanding herself to toughen up. She was not a prepubescent child who was head over heels!

"You know what they're trying to do."

It wasn't a question. "Yeah…" Gaara sighed and didn't say any more and it prompted her to speak again, smiling shyly as she said, "How about after I extract the poison… We go out for dinner, maybe?"

There was no harm in exploring, was there?

A hesitant smile pulled at his lips and her breath left her at the realisation that it was the first time she'd ever seen him smile.

No, there definitely was no harm in exploring.

* * *

 **A/N - I have tonsillitis! Serves me right for trying to sing like Lzzy from Halestorm to piss the neighbours off, I suppose. We're at war, you see. They scream and bang on the walls, waking me up when I already have trouble sleeping, meaning I'm only getting a few hours every night (hence the late night updates), so I play my music really loud, with reaaaaally heavy bass and sing along really badly** **knowing that it will piss them off! Now I'm paying for it, though. Sighhhhhhhhhh.**


	3. Story 3: The Asylum

**Story 3**

 **Prompt: "Stuck in a haunted asylum for a night" – ToriBird627  
Rating: T**

* * *

"Come on, you can't be serious!"

"You asked for a dare, so you've got a dare."

Pulling a face, she turned to look at her best friend, but she was too busy nodding along with everything Naruto was saying. It made her pout more pronounced.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll come with you," Naruto offered with a grin. The grin lasted too long and made her feel more than just a little uncomfortable.

Thankfully, Ino finally stepped in at that point, telling him simply, "Like hell! If Sakura's going to do this, she's going to do it with someone who won't take advantage of the situation and feel her up."

The others sat around the table all sighed with annoyance when the predictable argument broke out between the two, with Naruto slamming his hands onto the table and kneeling up, whereas Ino glared at him harshly – a glare that had sent weaker men running with their knees knocking together.

Helplessly, Sakura glanced down at her phone, hoping that her mother would suddenly call and say that she needed to come home urgently. However, part of her knew that it would never happen and even if it did, the others would believe that she was backing out. But who could really blame her? When Naruto had called and invited her over to play truth or dare with a few drinks, Sakura honestly hadn't believed the night would end this way. Usually, the most daring their friends got was a peck on the lips, or knocking on a neighbour's door and running away before they answered.

Was it because, up until that moment, she had always chosen truth? Oh, why the hell couldn't she have chosen truth this time? Why did she have to buckle under their pressure?

"Naruto has a point," their friend, Shikamaru, drawled. "You can't send her in there alone."

"I know that!" Ino snapped in response. "But we're not sending _him_ in there with her." A look of disgust was aimed at said blond. "There's no telling what he'd do to her."

"Oi!"

"I will go."

Everyone's eyes widened as they snapped to the set of icy blue. As always, he was calm and collected, taking slow slips of his beer as he leaned back against Naruto's bed, one leg bent and his arm slung over it, the bottle of beer dangling from his hand.

Opposite him, yet another blonde smirked. "You've been dying to get in there, haven't you, Gaara?"

Temari's words made Sakura blush. Get into where, exactly? The place they were sending her to for her dare, or into _her?_ Surely his own sister wouldn't say something so personal, something so embarrassing? It didn't seem to bother him, either. More importantly: did it bother her, considering their past?

"Now _that_ I agree with," Ino stated with a smirk. "If anyone can protect her then it's Gaara-kun – doesn't matter if the other guy is dead or not."

Just the mere mentioning of dead people had her paling, had goosebumps breaking out over her skin. What made it worse was that they all knew how – or, at least, Naruto, Ino and Sasuke knew how – much she feared the supernatural. Big, scary guys trying to mug you were real and your hand wasn't going to go through them unless you punched them especially hard. Ghosts, on the other hand, were invisible. You couldn't beat the shit out of something you couldn't even see.

But Naruto wasn't concerned about that fact in the least as he was once more grinning. "If you're going too, then it's not going to be an hour."

"What?" the pair of them asked in unison.

His already creepy grin widened, looking scarier as Naruto lit up a flashlight beneath his face. "It's all night!"

No. Not a chance in hell would she ever agree to something so ridiculous-

"Fine."

Her eyes went wide with disbelief. "Gaara-kun, please-"

He looked over to her, his expression showing how unconcerned he was. "It's all fake, Sakura."

"If it was such a threat, don't you think it would have real security instead of the odd patrol every other night?" questioned Sasuke coolly. "I'm willing to bet whatever is on me that all you'll hear is the odd creak."

Naruto growled at that. "Don't be using that old building bullshit again!"

And as another argument broke out, all she could do was stare out of the window at the old asylum, feeling nothing but sorry for herself.

* * *

Due to their busy schedules, what with university and some of them having part time jobs, they put off her dare until the weekend, where she and Gaara had a whole two days (and one night) to fully explore the old closed asylum.

Being alone with Gaara for two days didn't worry her in the slightest. After all, it was Gaara. The same guy who would sigh and pick her up when she was absolutely wasted and unable to stand by herself. He was a friend. A quiet, totally misunderstood friend. Others considered him to be not just intimidating, but sometimes terrifying to be around, whereas the gang saw him as somebody to go to when in need of a truly good friend.

Going with Gaara _reassured_ Sakura. Ino was right: he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.

The asylum itself… _That_ was what scared her. It was shut down over fifty years ago after an investigation showed that the staff had been mistreating the patients, conducting unforgivable experiments on them that either caused permanent disfigurement or killed them in the process. There were harrowing photographs online _showing_ the mutilated patients and the shocking conditions they lived in. It was said that over the decade the asylum was open, not just hundreds, but thousands died. It was rare for a patient to make it out alive.

So, Sakura was expecting the absolute worst to happen. She was expecting to be thrown around by a malevolent force that was determined to tear her limb from limb, who would spend the entire weekend torturing her mentally before granting mercy and killing her. She had watched enough horrors to know what to expect.

"Sakura."

There was no helping the flinch and she tried to smile apologetically at the redhead standing beside her. They were both well prepared for the weekend, with sleeping bags and large rucksacks filled with food, clean changes of clothes and other necessities. Unsure as to whether there was working electricity, she'd brought a phone charger _just in case_ they had to get in touch with someone. Also, both Naruto and Ino wanted proof if something was to happen, meaning she had to keep her phone fully charged and the camera at the ready.

"Are you ready?"

"No," she replied with a breathy laugh. "But we can't get out of this thing, can we?"

They'd arrived separately and much to her gratefulness, Gaara had arrived before herself and waited patiently at the bottom of the road. Their cars were parked a bit away simply because they didn't want to risk getting caught in the abandoned asylum – her record was clean and she wasn't about to have 'breaking and entering' tarnishing that. She wasn't too sure about Gaara's record.

"Speak for yourself."

Oh. Right. "I forgot you enjoy this kind of thing," said Sakura a little awkwardly. "Sorry."

He shrugged. "It would be nice to get to know you better, also."

Gaara had always been the mysterious one of the group, officially stealing the title from their Sasuke (who hadn't been pleased in the least, as being the brooding loner was _his_ thing). In fact, if it weren't for Temari, they probably wouldn't have even become friends. As she was Shikamaru's girlfriend and Shikamaru was one of their dearest friends, that obviously meant they all hung out from time to time and on one occasion, the blonde happened to bring her younger brother along, murmuring to her as the night went on that she was hoping he would finally make friends.

And he did. If there was one thing Uzumaki Naruto absolutely detested, then it was somebody being left out. The rest of their gang warmed up to him, albeit slowly. It took some time to get to know the guy beneath the cold, calculating exterior, but alcohol certainly speeded the process up.

"Yeah," she agreed, smiling. "It would."

"I checked out an entrance around the back," he told her as they began the walk up the steep slope. "The asylum's too big to check over before nightfall to make sure we're the only ones in there, so we'll keep our things in one of the offices. That way, if we're not, at least we know our belongings and car keys won't be stolen."

Sakura frowned up at him. "How are we going to lock-"

The sound of jangling keys had her rolling her eyes, her disbelief at how stupid she was only growing when he held them up to her.

"There's probably more than one way to break into the asylum without them, but Uchiha didn't want to take any chances. The less damage caused and whatnot."

It wasn't like they'd smash a window or break down a door. Saying that, though… She didn't know that much about Gaara, despite being friends. For all she knew, he _could_ have been willing to do that, even though it was only a dare. Sakura was glad Sasuke had managed to get them the keys to the place. Hopefully his father, who happened to be the chief of police in their somewhat quiet town, wouldn't notice. There was no telling what would happen.

Then again, the whole weekend was going to be unpredictable, wasn't it?

Much to her surprise, once they reached the back entrance and Gaara had unlocked it, he held the door open for her, offering a slight smile when she ducked beneath his arm. He hesitated in shutting the door before they each had their flashlights in their grasps, flicking them to life. Most of the windows had been bordered up, blocking out a great deal of the natural light and leaving them in a dimly lit kitchen.

There wasn't much to look at and she watched nervously over her shoulder as Gaara closed the door as quietly as possible, inwardly wincing at the creak of the hinges that hadn't been used in who knows how long.

It was all eerie. The dusty kitchen that seemed to have been abandoned in a hurry, with old pots and pans littering the worktops and the _smell_ … It was enough to make her retch. Rotting meat and vegetables tainted the air and Sakura felt as though she was inhaling diseases. It probably wasn't, but she was certain she could hear the squeaking of rats and in a hurry, she grabbed Gaara's wrist, pulling him towards the nearest door, hoping and praying that it would be an escape from the dreadful kitchen.

Thankfully, it was. It took them into what appeared to be a dining hall. The space was large and she got the feeling it had once been filled with hundreds of people at a time; never silent, yet never happy, either. She could tell by the chill in the air – a chill that had nothing to do with the fact that it was autumn. Dust coated everything. From the metal tables and benches, to the windowsills, to the paintings and even the air. Dust motes floated around them, though could only be seen in the cracks between the boards covering the windows, or the flashes of their torches.

It was creepy. Everything was so still, so quiet. It wasn't natural for such an enormous place to be silent and while she knew it was her fear and anxiety creeping up on her, Sakura still felt as though they were being watched closely. It made her stay close to the redhead walking by her side, glancing up at him every now and then as he curiously looked around them. For some reason, he seemed genuinely intrigued by it all. Was he the kind who got some sort of rush from paranormal activities?

"We'll find an office," he informed her. "There is only one key, however, so we should stay together."

She nodded, pretending not to notice the death grip she had on his wrist. "Do you know where they are?"

"Yeah." Once more, he looked around, aiming his flashlight at one of the paintings. It looked as though one of the patients had painted it, but there was no way of telling. "There's three on the top floor and one of the ground floor. In case we need to get out at some point, whether it becomes too much for us or somebody else – who is alive – is here, I suggest we stay on the ground floor."

That was a good idea. Just the thought of somebody else being there with them freaked her out. It didn't matter if they were alive or not. Who would willingly stay in such a disturbing dump? As soon as the dare was over, Sakura vowed to never step a foot in the building – or any other haunted building – ever again.

"Then lead the way."

He did so without a single complaint about the hold on his wrist that was surely causing discomfort by now. She willed herself to let up, to ease the death grip just a little, but that idea flew out of her mind as they entered a corridor of sorts.

Much to her horror, there were marks up the walls, symbols of some sort and they were painted in blood red paint. Gods, had there been a cult here? Had they been Satanists? What if they had sacrificed people?

 _What if they were still there?_

"Calm down, Sakura," Gaara said calmly, sparing a glance over his shoulder at her. "You're freaking yourself out."

"But those symbols-"

"Could have been painted by kids our age, for all we know." He rolled his eyes, facing forward again. "They graffiti everything, not always knowing what they're spray painting."

They would have had to come across the markings somewhere! Why would they one day decide to paint something they knew nothing about? How would they know what the markings looked like?

Swallowing, she stepped closer to Gaara.

This was going to be a long weekend.

* * *

Everything was beginning to creep her out. It didn't matter if it was something totally ordinary like a painting either, because she was fairly certain they were watching her, too. Jeez, was this how those suffering with paranoia felt? Like everything was out to get them?

Sakura would have been content with locking herself in the office until she could leave, however, she knew Gaara was anxious to explore the asylum and delve deeper than an office and the dining room. They had to take pictures, too, so she supposed that was another reason to walk around.

It made her cringe as she placed her bag down on the old, chipped wooden flooring. Were there rats in here as well? It stunk like the rest of the place, but not of rotting food, much to her relief. It was more like a stale kind of smell – like someone hadn't opened the windows in a long while and had sweated their ass off every day for the past fifty years. Okay, it was almost on level with the stench of the kitchen, but it was somehow more bearable if she told herself over and over again that there weren't any rats lurking around.

Running her fingers along the length of the desk, she frowned minutely, staring down at the thick dust covering her fingertips. How in the hell was she going to survive the weekend in this place? It was going to fuck with her mind and that was just the state of it, never mind the ghosts.

Searching through her bag and pulling out her packet of makeup wipes, she used one of them to wipe the desk down, cleaning it of the dust. Once it was clean, she sat on it, leaning back on her hands and watching as Gaara explored the office, looking through the drawers and filing cabinets. Apparently, because the door had a lock on it, the nun who had run the place hadn't thought about locking the cabinets, as well.

"What's the plan, then?"

Only sparing a glance over his shoulder at her, Gaara rummaged through a file. "We'll explore after dark."

Yes, because that sounded like a brilliant plan, didn't it? They didn't know their way around the asylum and they also didn't know if there were others with them, so why in the hell would Gaara suggest something like that?

"You don't agree?"

Her eyes snapped back to his, widening at the questioning raising of his non-existent eyebrow. "It's not that, it's… We don't know anything about this place and we could get lost-"

"That is why I'm searching for plans."

Oh. Sakura had thought he was just being nosey and wanted to know more about the former residents. "Sorry," she mumbled sheepishly.

Gaara sighed and made his way over to her, sitting down on the desk. "I know these kinds of things freak you out," he said, "but you don't have to worry so much. You're not going to be left wandering around by yourself."

His words comforted her to a certain extent. Gaara was… Ever since she first met him, he'd always been so fearless, like nothing in the world could scare him and while he wasn't that big, he was still someone you could hide behind in confrontation, because most of the time, people backed down after a single glare. She felt safe with him.

"It's a shame we didn't bring any of Naruto's liquid courage."

He smirked at that. "After the last time, I think it is probably best we didn't."

A blush raged on her cheeks and she had to look away from his amused icy blue eyes.

It wasn't too long ago when Naruto first introduced them to his infamous liquid courage – a mixture of different alcohol he'd created himself (and had spent three whole months perfecting). They'd all been dubious about drinking the stuff after he told them what was in it, but it honestly wasn't so bad. It was expensive to make and Sakura certainly wouldn't be splashing her cash for the stuff, but it was definitely nice and lived up to its name.

An example of that would be the fact that Hyuuga Hinata, the most fidgety and anxious girl Sakura knew, finally plucked up the courage to kiss Naruto. Gods knew how long she'd been in love with him for! All it took was three cups of Naruto's liquid courage for her to tell him. Sadly, however, the blond was a clueless idiot and assumed it was just the alcohol talking, so didn't take it to heart.

As for herself… In Ino's words: her inner-slut came out. It was kind of harsh saying it that way, as she hadn't slept with anyone and only actually kissed one person. That person happened to be the guy sat beside her, still watching her with amusement.

Much to her gratefulness, he'd never made a big deal out of it.

She never used the excuse of not remembering what happened, or being too drunk to remember anything, because it wasn't true. What happened had happened because she wanted it to. She'd been fully aware of it all.

Could anyone really blame her for wanting to kiss him? Gaara was the hot new guy who kept to himself a great deal of the time, someone they knew next to nothing about, yet still accepted into their group as one of their own (and not because he was Temari's baby brother, but because he seemed like a genuinely good guy after a conversation or two with him).

"Probably," she agreed with a single chuckle.

The last time they'd been interrupted by Naruto, who wasn't impressed in the least (partly why he'd been so adamant about _him_ being the one to accompany her instead of Gaara) with how heated things were getting. Looking back, Sakura was kind of glad somebody had intervened. Gaara was still the new guy at the time and she hadn't wanted to give him the wrong impression about what sort of person she was – and he was definitely going to get the wrong impression, as his hands had been tugging her closer, hers weaved into his hair and back arching, their kiss insistent and needy and-

Previously, she hadn't been worried about being in the asylum all weekend with Gaara. The reminder of what had happened, however, now had her breathing out a shaky sigh. They were all alone out there, with no one to interrupt them.

Yes, it was a good thing they didn't bring Naruto's liquid courage.

She smiled nervously and got up. "Let's look for those plans!"

* * *

She wanted to leave.

She wanted to go home to the safety of her bed, where she could hide beneath the covers.

This was… It was going to give her a freaking heart attack! Night had come far too quickly for her liking, swallowing the asylum whole in inky blackness. As soon as it started to grow dark, they began exploring even though they hadn't found any plans that showed them the layout of the building.

Every creak put her on edge, regardless of the many times she told herself that it was an old building. The anxiety was already playing with her mind, forcing her to think that she could see things out of the corner of her eyes when there probably wasn't even anything there. Fortunately for her, Gaara didn't think twice about her holding his hand, or the fact that she was nearly stepping on his heels in her attempt to stay close.

Her personal opinion on the paranormal was that the dead should be left alone to rest in peace, not messed around with by ignorant teenagers. There was no telling how many of the ghosts – if there were any at all – had suffered during their time at the asylum, just like there was no telling how many of them were seeking revenge, not caring about who they took their anger out on.

"How do we know what to look for?" asked Sakura in a sad attempt to distract herself.

"We don't," he replied simply. "That's why we're exploring."

Stupid question, she belatedly told herself. However, she couldn't help but wonder how they were supposed to see a ghost if they were invisible. Did they show themselves when scaring people? Did they just make noise to alert them of their presence? If it was the latter, then how were they going to get proof for Ino and Naruto? Were they supposed to record everything that happened?

She should have chosen truth.

They were only on the first floor of the asylum. Whereas the ground appeared as more of a communal area, the first was made up entirely of cells – not rooms or wards, but actual cells. Metal doors stood between them and the cells, but they were all cracked open, allowing them to glance inside. They were all roughly the same size, nothing more than boxes filled with metal bed frames, thin mouldy mattresses and a single dresser.

Nowadays, patients were offered so much more (depending on where they were staying, of course) and it honestly made her heart hurt that people had to go through such difficulties. Just because they were mentally unstable, it didn't mean they were less of a person than anyone else. Living in such conditions… She couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have been like.

"Are you okay?"

Sakura looked up to see Gaara was staring down at her, his brows knitting together with clear worry. "I'm fine. It's just sad to see."

Icy blues eyes drifted to one of the doors that was open wider, giving them a full view of the tiny cell. "I know." Their eyes met once more and he gave her a small smile. "Would you like to eat something after we've finished this floor?"

There were only four rooms left, so she nodded and followed closely as Gaara got back to pushing doors further open and looking inside. The rooms were all the same, with absolutely no personal touches, so she stopped paying attention, instead focusing on the firmness of his grip on her hand. It was no longer just her holding onto him, but him holding onto her, too. Sakura knew it wasn't out of fear. Gaara was a fearless guy.

It made her smile.

* * *

"How's Kankuro doing?"

Gaara shrugged, pausing in eating his instant ramen. They'd taken the risk in lighting a small fire to use a camping kettle, putting it out not long after they boiled the water. There was no electricity in the building and it seemed the plumbing wasn't all that reliable, either. It was a good thing they'd come prepared with bottles of water.

"He's happier in Suna," he replied.

She smiled. "I'm glad." After another mouthful of ramen, she looked back to him. "But don't you miss him?"

"If I do, I remind myself what a pain he can be."

Sakura laughed more than what she probably should have, though didn't miss the warmth in his eyes at the sound of her genuine laughter.

They hadn't spent much time with Kankuro, as the man had grown homesick not long into his first year at Konoha University and jetted off back to Suna when it became too much for him. However, from the short time she'd spent with the brunet, he'd been easy to get on with and definitely knew how to cheer a person up, from his hugely inappropriate yet still hilarious jokes, to his wacky and random puppet shows. He was just a genuinely funny character to have around.

"I speak with Kankuro often over the phone or video chat," he then said. "Despite being so far away, it still feels as though he is here with me." Gaara smiled a small smile. "So no, I don't miss him."

Sakura returned the smile. Maybe one good thing would come out of this wretched weekend: she was getting to know Gaara better.

Once they'd finished their food, they decided to wait an hour before continuing their adventure through the asylum. To pass the time they cleaned away their things (Gaara suggested that it was the smart thing to do, as it would make escaping easier just in case things went south and they had to leave quickly), searched for the nearest toilet (again, the plumbing wasn't fantastic and the colour of the water made her uncomfortable, but somehow it worked enough to at least flush, even if it did cause an awful smell) and once again searched through the cabinets.

By the time they were ready to explore, the sound of talking had them coming to a halt. In that instant, her heart was in her throat and her inner drama queen took control, for she was certain that they were going to die a horrible and bloody death.

But then they realised the talking was coming from outside and for the briefest of seconds, a flashlight lit the room up. Her reaction was faster than Gaara's and she fell to the ground, yanking on his hand to bring him down, as well. Coincidentally, the desk was facing the window, so they hid beneath it and she hoped and prayed that their bags wouldn't get noticed beside the filing cabinet.

It was a tight squeeze. However, neither of them were complaining. Sakura wrapped an arm around her legs, keeping her knees pressed tightly to her chest and behind her, Gaara kept incredibly still. The silence in the office was the kind that felt almost deafening, like there was a ringing in their ears, but soon enough the people outside began talking once more.

"Officers," Gaara whispered.

She tried to ignore the fact he was breathing down her neck while silently hoping she didn't smell bad from all her nervous sweating. "Do you think they've noticed the keys are gone?"

"It's a possibility," he murmured in reply. "Uchiha said these are the only set." At least they wouldn't have to worry about the police officers finding them in the office. "It may only be a perimeter run."

Again, the light of a torch filled the room, flashing over the wall and they could hear the officers more clearly, though they weren't saying anything of importance. Fortunately for her and Gaara, they'd tidied up after themselves so unless the officers saw their bags or them, then there was no evidence to prove that they were ever there.

" _Man, this place gives me the creeps,"_ one of the policeman said. " _Why can't the chief just check it out himself?"_

Were they trash talking Sasuke's dad? Sakura bit her lip. It was no secret the guy was a hard ass, but he was friendly enough to her face, if not a little stiff. When you were raised as traditionally as he was, it wasn't exactly easy breaking out of that state of mind.

" _He's probably too scared the old nun'll get him,"_ the other stated with a harsh laugh. " _Kill him just like she killed her patients."_

" _That psycho is long dead,"_ the first man shot back, though laughed anyway.

The torch left the room, leaving them in total darkness once more and Sakura breathed out a shaky sigh as it did.

" _Haven't you heard the stories?"_ came the second's taunt. _"She kills anyone who trespasses."_

Oh, hell no!

As if he sensed her sudden urge to get the hell out of there, Gaara's arm wrapped around her middle, pinning her against him and making her heart skip a beat.

"Don't move," he warned quietly.

It felt oddly exhilarating. Being pressed up against him with the risk of being caught in a place they had no right to be in – trespassing in an abandoned asylum that was supposed to be haunted. Adrenaline was rushing through her veins and Sakura bit her lip, shutting her eyes and telling herself to calm down. It said a lot about her love life when simply sitting in front of someone and having them wrap their arm around her, turned her on.

"Your heart is beating fast," Gaara murmured.

Yes, it was, but there was no way she could tell him it was because of him. "Adrenaline, I guess."

Could he feel the tension, too? It was barely even noticeable in the beginning, but now… It was all she could notice. Leaning back against him, sitting between his legs… It was all too much. It felt… intimate, nearly. Something that was almost wrong. Like they were doing something they shouldn't and in what was once a nun's office, no less.

The officers' voices grew more distant as the minutes went by and soon enough, Sakura breathed out a sigh of relief and relaxed.

Only to jump and hit her head on the desk when she heard a loud bang come from above them.

Much to her horror, Gaara didn't do what she wanted him to do (run away and drag her out of there with him). No, instead, he quickly moved her out of the way and grabbed their flashlights, barely even giving her the chance to get up before he was unlocking the office and rushing out of it, locking it hurriedly as she followed.

The bang had been directly above them, in one of the rooms. Like earlier that day, she held his hand tightly and allowed him to lead the way up to the room. Unlike earlier that day, however, the door was shut and it freaked her out for one simple reason.

They'd left it open.

It had to have been the wind. Somewhere, a window had to be open and because of winter fast approaching, the wind had picked up with enough force to slam the door shut, which was what they'd heard.

"It's so cold," she whispered.

"It's not a window, if that's what you're thinking," he said and reached out to the door, pressing his hand flat against it. "I checked earlier to make sure nothing like that would happen and they were all nailed shut."

Sadly, she knew it was true. Not only that, but there were bars stopping them from being opened. It was probably because of suicidal patients throwing themselves out of the windows – standard precaution in an asylum.

"I don't like this," Sakura said for what felt like the hundredth time. Surely he was going to get so sick of her that he'd give her the keys to run away? "Please can we just-"

He spun around, covering her mouth, but he didn't say anything and it chilled her to the bone to see that he was listening intently to something that she couldn't and didn't want to hear.

Another bang. She flinched.

Her heart was beating a mile a minute, eyes watering and against his hand, her lips quivered. What Sakura wanted to do was run away, but fear made her immobile. All she could do was stare at the metal door, even when Gaara slowly pulled away from her and tried opening it. It wouldn't budge. He tried to see if it was locked, but it wasn't. Something was keeping it shut and she certainly didn't want to stick around to find out what. It aggravated him so much that Gaara began yanking on the handle aggressively, putting all his strength into opening it. Still, nothing.

The banging persisted, growing louder and louder the more frustrated Gaara got.

"Sakura."

Damn it…

She forced herself to move, arms going around his middle and tugging backwards in time to him pulling on the door, using all her strength and weight.

Nothing. Not even a crack.

"Please, Gaara-kun, can we just leave it-"

"How do we know it's not the others screwing with us?" he demanded through gritted teeth. It was honestly scarier than the paranormal seeing him getting so angry. "They could have used the officers as a distraction to sneak in."

"Then-"

The slamming of another door had her jumping in fright, eyes snapping to the left and widening as another door was shut. And then another. And another. Even Gaara must have freaked, because he stopped trying to open the door and grabbed the hand still holding onto him tightly. Using his surprise to her advantage, Sakura dragged him by their joined hands in the direction of the stairs, fear causing her to shake and almost miss a step in her hurry to get to the safety of the office. It seemed stupid, but the door locked, so there'd be none of that slamming going on down there.

It took him way too long, in her opinion, to unlock the door, and she all but threw herself inside once it was open. He followed quickly, locking the door again after them. The shaking of her body captured his attention and he shoved the keys in his pocket, making it to her just in time for Sakura to throw herself at him, burying her face into his shoulder and neck, squeezing her eyes shut to try and block it all out.

Above them, the banging continued.

Part of her selfishly hoped it would attract the officers' attention, bringing them back to the asylum. She hoped that they would find them there, cowering in the office – well, _she_ was cowering. Gaara was comforting her. Even if it meant gaining a criminal record, she wanted out of there.

Had she not been so scared, had she not been so focused on the banging above them, Sakura would have been surprised when Gaara placed his cheek against the top of her head, when he began rubbing her back comfortingly.

* * *

It felt like a lifetime had passed before the banging stopped. All the while, he held her. Even when she managed to calm down, Gaara continued to hold her, allowing her to hide in the safety of his arms. In his arms, in his embrace, she couldn't see a thing and to try and block out the sound of the horrific noise upstairs, she listened to the sound of his breathing, to the fast beating of his heart.

He'd made a mess of her hair, though Sakura knew she had no right to complain about it. With a sheepish smile, she pulled back, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"Are you okay?"

She wanted to lie. Wanted to tell him everything was fine – she was fine. It had to be annoying having her around when she jumped at every little thing that made a noise. The incident on the first floor left her shaken, though. They had many friends, but nowhere near enough for every single door on the first floor to slam shut repeatedly.

"It's a shame we didn't get it on camera," she instead said.

"Actually…" He retrieved his phone from the pocket in his jacket. Funny how she hadn't noticed the camera sticking out of it until he pointed it out. Sneaky. "I press record every time we go out to explore the building." As he said it, he touched the screen, cutting off the recording and then, with a smirk, he added, "I will take out the part where we ran away."

It made her smile to find there was no accusation in his tone. No demands to know why she'd dragged him away from something so big. He said it like they'd ran together, despite her dragging him.

"Thanks." The last thing she wanted was for the others to watch her freak out.

The smirk changed to a smile and Gaara surprised her by reaching up, somewhat hesitantly wiping away the remnants of her tears. It was obvious he was uncomfortable, despite trying to hide it. Was he not used to touching others, or having them touch him? He'd seemed fine earlier. He'd seemed fine all times before today where he picked her up off the floor and took care of her. Hell, he was fine when they kissed so heatedly.

Was it because it was as new to him as it was her?

Before he could take his hand away, she took it in her own, amused to find it surprised him. "How long have we known each other?"

His surprise doubled at her random question. "Roughly seven months."

"In all that time…" She smiled widely, teasingly. "This is the first time I've surprised you."

It took a few moments, with him clearly thinking back on all their time together as friends, recalling the memories they'd created, but then he smirked, nodding once. "I wouldn't call that taking someone by surprise, though."

"Then how would you take someone by surprise?" she asked quietly, unable to stop her gaze from drifting to his lips.

His smirk widened briefly, allowing her to catch a glimpse of straight, white teeth. "It would be too cliché for me to make a move, meaning it wouldn't be a surprise," he said in the same teasing tone she'd used moments ago, probably knowingly taking her breath away at the mere thought of him making a move. "Not to mention you're scared shitless right now."

There was no denying her fear. No use in trying to defend herself. However, the thought of him making a move was… exhilarating. Like earlier that day, when they'd been beneath the desk that had once belonged to a nun, hiding from the policemen.

"You could do it anyway," she responded, fingers slipping into his hair.

Maybe it was because she'd almost wet herself when… whatever the hell happened, had happened, or maybe it was because of the way he'd taken care of her. Whatever the reason, Sakura was enjoying the sudden closeness. She enjoyed how he held her, how he comforted her.

"I wouldn't be able to get through this weekend without you."

"Then why don't we make a deal?" She raised an eyebrow, pushing him to say, "Once this is over, we will go on a date."

"Are you trying bribe me, Gaara-kun?"

His smirk returned, this time appearing more wicked, more sinful, as he muttered, "Hardly. More like something to get us through this weekend."

"Temari-san _did_ mean what I originally thought she meant, didn't she?" Sakura questioned, also smirking. "By 'get in there', she meant me, not this asylum."

"Perhaps." She couldn't help but blush under the intensity of his stare. "So?"

"So…?"

He didn't seem to mind her teasing. In fact, it looked like it amused him. "Once the weekend is over, will you go on a date with me?"

And that was when she saw her.

That was when she saw the nun.

* * *

 **A/N - This was actually supposed to be out last Halloween, but sadly, I got major writer's block and really struggled with finishing it.**


	4. Story 4: Shooting II

**Story 4**

 **Prompt: Sequel to The Shooting – Requested by XxTaintedDragonxX  
Rating: T**

* * *

Fifty-seven people dead. Twice that number injured.

Fifty-three students, along with four teachers, had been murdered that day. The number would have been one higher had she not left the class to get herself more water, for hers had been one of the first to be attacked. What were the chances of that happening?

So, while Haruno Sakura felt so eternally grateful for the urge to get up and move around, to leave the classroom for a while, she also felt incredibly guilty. She should have been there with them when the guy opened fire. She should have been in that classroom.

She stood with her fellow students, side by side in the assembly hall, all paying their respects as their headmaster, Sarutobi Hiruzen, made a speech about that day, about how it was important they didn't forget those who'd lost their lives.

Among those who'd been injured was Gaara's older sister, Sabaku Temari.

Surprisingly, Gaara hadn't left Sakura's side once as she was taken to hospital, remaining with her until she had to go for surgery to remove the bullet from her thigh. It was there that he found out his sister had also been shot, had found out how truly stubborn the blonde was, for she survived a bullet to the neck, of all places. Sakura had assumed the worst when he'd told her where she'd been shot, had been halfway through condolences before Gaara had interrupted her, saying she was unconscious, but stable.

Other students who'd found her had acted quickly by keeping pressure on the wound, had hidden her from view when the shooter thought he'd killed her – after all, who the hell survived getting shot in the neck? If Sakura wasn't mistaken, then it'd actually been Temari's boyfriend, Nara Shikamaru, who'd stayed with her (she suspected they'd been ditching class together, but never said the suspicions out loud). Since then, it had brought them even closer together, had made them appreciate their lives and relationship all the more.

Sakura supposed it was like that for everyone, really. Fortunately for her (and she couldn't thank the Gods enough for it), none of her closest friends had died that day. They were undoubtedly traumatised – they all were – but they were alive and well and now, they were all closer than ever, bonding through the tragedy.

Glancing up at the redhead standing silently beside her, Sakura couldn't help but allow her expression to soften. Without him there that day, she would have died. It was plain and simple. He'd saved her life and there was no way she could ever repay him for that.

"–a memorial shall be built to remember those we lost," Sarutobi said, cutting through her thoughts and she looked back to him. "It will be situated in front of the school, where we will all pass it every day."

It sounded like it would be painful for those who'd lost their friends, family or lovers, but it was a beautiful gesture all the same, allowing them to pay their respects when they walked by it. Sakura knew she would personally appreciate it, allowing her to pay her respects to her classmates and sensei.

They didn't have to remain standing for too long, thankfully and she smiled in thanks as Gaara helped ease back into her seat before sitting down himself.

It'd been three weeks since the attack. Her wound was still healing, but she refused to stay down, to allow it to keep her down. Instead, Sakura used crutches to get around, taking breaks throughout the day and leaving class early so that she didn't get caught up in the busy corridors.

School had been out for a whole week after the shooting and she'd taken an extra week off to try and prepare herself for returning (her parents tried talking her into staying off school for the rest of term since there were only two weeks left until summer, but she refused). Her first day back had been weird. It simply felt surreal – hard to believe anything had even happened. Everything was so normal, so clean. Windows that'd been hit by bullets and broken were replaced. The blood in the library, where she'd been shot, was gone, along with the blood of the others who were injured or had died. Sakura supposed it was to ensure nobody was further tortured by the reminder of what had happened.

"As most of you are well aware by now, there are thrice as many counsellors at our school as there was before the attack," Sarutobi continued, voice gravelly. "Please do not hesitate to go to the counsellors if you find yourselves struggling. They are there to listen should and offer you support."

Gods knew they all needed it, Sakura added inwardly. A decent fraction of the students – Temari being one of them – were still in the hospital, still recovering from their wounds, whereas others found it too hard to return. She would've too, but she couldn't let them down. The class she was in was obviously no more and so she was placed in another class. When she'd first entered, the whole room had gone silent, one or two of the students had instantly started crying and giving her their condolences – the teacher had cried too, in fact.

It didn't matter if those students hadn't lost anybody they knew personally, or if they hadn't been injured that day. They still felt the same weight in their chests as the rest of them. They still mourned the loss of fellow students, _of children_. They still had empathy for those who had lost someone – for them, they saw Sakura as the girl who'd lost her entire class. That was over thirty people altogether. And while she hadn't been the greatest of friends with any of them, even though she wouldn't have hung out with them outside of school hours, they were still friendly enough. They'd gotten along well in group activities. They could laugh and joke when their sensei messed up and–

She reached up, harshly wiping at her cheeks like that alone would stop the tears. It felt like all she ever did lately was cry, no matter how hard she tried to remain strong. The first week after the shooting, when she'd been stuck in the hospital, all Sakura had done was cry and sob and wail, the tears only coming harder when the names of those who died were displayed on the news, telling her that her classmates had died.

A shoulder brushed against hers, silently telling her that he was there. Sakura shut her eyes, drowning out the rest of Sarutobi's speech as she focused on nothing other than the comfort Gaara radiated.

It was odd how a tragedy was capable of bringing people together, no matter how different they were. Before the shooting, she'd never thought she would be friends with Sabaku Gaara. He was quiet and withdrawn. Intimidating, even. But not once had he left her alone in her grief and anguish. Even when she was a mess of emotions, even when she looked like utter shit and wanted nothing more than to be left alone, he comforted her. It was surprising, but at the same time, it wasn't. Not after that day. He could have left her to die. Could have left to her to be found and murdered, using it as his escape. But he hadn't. Gaara had protected her even when she was nothing more than a burden. He had stayed by her side and tried to keep her safe.

When the assembly ended, he waited with her until the hall was empty, helping her stand with the aid of his arm. She'd grown used to her crutches now, able to use them almost expertly, so it took a single second to adjust to them, to lower her weight onto them and lead the way out of the hall. All the while, Gaara carried her bag and blazer, the former swung over his shoulder and the latter hung over his arm.

What would she have done without him in the past week alone? It was like Gaara was her constant. He was there at breaks and lunches, waiting for her. He was the one who made the first trip into the library when she found she needed a book from there, knowing that she couldn't pluck up the courage straight away. Then, when she was ready to go to the library, he was there by her side, even carrying her down the stairs when her knees had felt too weak to carry her.

In the short space of three weeks, he'd become one of her closest friends and knowing the importance of him in her life, her other friends had been incredibly accepting of him, welcoming him to their group and thanking him repeatedly for saving her life (it hadn't shocked her to find that Naruto already knew him – Gaara had mentioned him that day, later filling her in on how he knew him when they were in the hospital). As though that wasn't enough, her mother had actually sobbed, had fallen to her knees and taken his hands, unable to control her emotions as she expressed her deep gratitude. It only went to prove her earlier point: everyone was affected by the shooting, not just those who'd lost someone or were injured. And the tragedy had brought them together.

"Do you feel like going to class?"

It was wrong because she'd been so adamant about life going back to normal, about trying to move on and being strong for her classmates. How could she do that by constantly skipping classes?

"No," she answered truthfully, coming to a stop in her movements. Glancing up at him, Sakura grimaced, gaze soon turning to the corridor that would lead them to the library.

Surprisingly, nobody ever said anything about them skipping class – at least, she didn't think that they did. They probably assumed they were making use of the counsellors and while it probably should have made her feel guilty about lying to her sensei, it didn't. She didn't feel guilty about deceiving them. Neither did Gaara, either. It'd catch up with them sooner or later, Sakura knew that. Security had been doubled since the shooting and they were much stricter with attendances and registers.

"We could leave," Gaara offered, his icy blue eyes never leaving her features for a moment.

Yes, they could. "Are you sure you don't mind? You've done so much for me already – I can't keep asking you to do more."

He simply rolled his eyes at her, like what she was saying was ridiculous. "Come. We'll go get something to eat."

Sakura didn't hesitate to follow him.

* * *

 **A/N - So, we've come to the end of the list of prompts I'd received, but I'm still accepting. If anyone has a prompt/idea, don't hesitate to request it :-)**


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